Big Bluestem, Andropogon gerardii
 
WOW! Big bluestem is tall and makes an impact! It will be a focal point in any bigger pollinator garden. Big bluestem is a key component of tall grass prairie ecosystems. The grass is beautiful all year round. It starts in a blue tone and turns to glowing bronze and purple shades in the fall and stays up all winter. Prairie grasses are well known for their extremely long fibrous root systems that help with erosion control and locking even more carbon into the soil as trees do. 
 
Ecology:
Grasses don't seem like it, but they are ecological superstars. Big bluestem is a host plant for various skippers and provides seeds and nesting material for many bird species. Ground-nesting bees like the bare soil offered by the arching and clump-building form to excavate their nests around the root ball. Bumblee bees often hibernate between grasses, and birds take cover from strong winter winds. Cut grasses back no earlier than late spring, after the new large bumble bee queens have emerged from hibernation.
 
Growing conditions:
Big bluestem is a tall grass prairie plant. As one of the tallest plants, it naturally grows in full sun and does best in full sun in the garden setting. As a warm-season grass, it grows fast and thrives in the summer heat and humidity. It needs average to dry, well-drained soil and will be drought-tolerant once established. It is clump-forming, so it doesn't spread uncontrolled by rhizomes but can spread from seed.